Pet Dentistry
Pet Dentistry
Did you know we have a whole month dedicated to pet dentistry! February is National Pet Dental Health Month. This is to highlight how important is it to look after your pets mouth.
Why?
Looking after your pet’s month may prevent the following:
- Bad breath
- Tartar/plaque build up
- Sore gums (you may hear the vets say your pet has gingivitis!)
- Retained baby teeth
- Fractured teeth
- Abscesses
- Periodontal disease (inflammation/infection in the mouth)
- Bleeding gums
- Loose teeth
- Tooth loss
- Secondary diseases (such as liver issues)
Any and all of these can be very painful and even stop the pet from eating, leading to weight loss and general illness. Changes in pet behaviour may also be seen (head shy, dull, lethargic, aggressive to name but a few).
If your pet allows try to check your pet’s teeth at least once a month. Usually the vet will check a pet’s mouth at the very least once a year, at their booster. A vet may recommend a dental to be performed. This will require a general anaesthetic (we would only recommend a dental if we thought it in the best interest of the pet). Sometimes your pet may only require a scale and polish to remove a build-up of tartar and plaque. However, more often than not once the build-up has been removed the tooth is very unhealthy underneath and the vets have to extract it (don’t panic most animals actually cope really well after teeth extractions, as the pain and source of infection has been removed!). Never try to scale your pet’s teeth conscious!
Prevention is better than cure!
There are so many products to choose from! It is difficult to know where to start. Gold standard would be to brush your pet’s teeth once a day with a pet friendly tooth paste and brush. Yup we know how hard this is!!! We have a few odd rescues amongst the team (so far all fingers intact!) and we understand sometimes it’s just not possible. Ideally, if possible brushing two to four times a week would be better than nothing at all and if that’s not possible at all consider the following alternatives:
- Dental chews- always read the label! How do they work, and are they suitable for your pet (age/weigh/underlying illnesses). There are many different types of chews to look at. Read how they work. Care with some chews as they may be too hard and can lead to tooth fractures
- Dental toys- some may be too hard for some pets! Care as some products may even cause tooth fractures
- Dental solutions to add to water (some animals may not like this and be put off water!)
- Dental powders to prevent build-up of plaque and tartar.
- Enzymatic tooth pastes/gels that don’t require much brushing
How to brush your pet’s teeth
It’s best to start young! Not only can this help to train them it can even be fun with lots of treats and praise (a bonus is it can be very good bonding experience too). Never force your finger/brush into your pet’s month! If it’s an older pet consider taking to the vet first to make sure they do not have any sore gums.
Make sure you have the right equipment! Pet friendly tooth paste and a finger brush or pet friendly tooth brush that is the right size for the pet!
Start with a super tasty toothpaste and see if your pet will lick it for a few days from the tube. Then try to add in a quick gentle touch of a tooth with either the finger brush or tooth brush (any signs your pet is not happy with this then take a step back!). Use lots of praise and treats (but watch those waist lines!). Then try to increase to touching more than one tooth at a sitting. You only need to do this one to two times a day initially. There is no time scale for this it depends on what your pet will tolerate! It may take weeks to get your pet used to touching just one tooth- that’s fine. Slow and steady. If you are ever getting annoyed walk away, never make it a negative experience.
Some pets will only tolerate so much. Consider only brushing one side a day and alternate or if needs be top then bottom teeth the next day.
Speak to one our lovely team members to discuss your pets dental health.
Please Note
These factsheets are provided as guidelines only. If you are at all concerned about the wellbeing of your pet then please call Hope Veterinary Surgery immediately by using our phone number 01782 657788.
